And here we are at last! Only 100km sit between the riders and the finish line in Madrid! The sprinters are favourites but god only knows if a break will actually win or not. Our first attack of the stage comes from a regular in the breakaways, Arnold Jeannesson.
He is joined by five more riders and they will form our break of the day: Wilco Kelderman (of course) Chris Froome Dan Craven Evgeni Sokolov Jelle Vanendert Damiano Caruso
Very early in the day we have a fall in the pack - Dmitri Medvedev. His support riding in the mountains has been somewhat disappointing this race and now with his fall it is clear that he just doesn’t have form at the moment.
Unlike yesterday the maximum gap for the break is 4’05” before Wikipedia and Pokerstars work together to bring in the break back. This short stage means that they can work harder because they don’t have to pull for at least 160km.
We now enter the final circuits. It is a short and fairly easy climb with a descent. That descent leads down to the finish line, which could make for an interesting conclusion. Through the sprint point which marks the summit of the first of these three climbs the break’s lead is down to 2’05”.
The gap comes down steadily and Caruso leads us into the final 13km of the race through the finish line. The gap is down to 56” so the pace has to remain high.
But this high pace together with the tight turns causes some troubles as Konte and Diggle fall. In fact the fall from Diggle is so bad that he has to throw in the towel and abandon with under 10km of the whole Grand Tour left! That’s tragic and there are tears clearly visible on his face.
Of course no one is going to wait for him and the pack pushes onwards. With 5.6km remaining the break is caught, which means that we will actually get a proper finish today! Welle Jallays makes the catch.
Two trains form and there are a lot of sprinters missing from the vicinity. Clearly 3 weeks have taken their toll. The two trains are: Denifl Meyer Goss
Dumoulin Degenkolb Holloway McEvoy
Van Stayen, Impey and Dockx are also around here.
Dockx falls in line behind Goss while Van Stayen opts to go behind McEvoy. He times this well because Dumoulin comes off and Degenkolb starts to just power away.
But what’s this on the far right of the road? Grillo is bringing Valverde up!
Goss’s train can’t cope with the speed of Degenkolb and it just breaks down, leaving the sprinter without a lead-out.
With 1km remaining Holloway launches his sprint and so too does the young McEvoy. But Valverde has several bike lengths on them!
With 400 metres to go these two pass Valverde and Van Stayen is coming up on the outside too, but has he left it too late?
Yes he has! Dan Holloway wins another stage of the 2013 Vuelta a Espana!
Van Stayen is just a wheel length behind in second. McEvoy is in third, which is a magnificent result! Valverde holds on for fourth with Facci coming from nowhere to take fifth. Impey and Goss can only manage sixth and seventh. Bibby, Guldhammer and Grillo round out the top ten.
Stage Results:
1
Dan Holloway
Pokerstars.com
2h22'44
2
Michael Van Stayen
Simply Red Bull
s.t.
3
Jonathan McEvoy
Pendleton's
s.t.
4
Alejandro Valverde
Koenigsegg
s.t.
5
Mauro Facci
Simply Red Bull
s.t.
6
Daryl Impey
Aker - MOT
s.t.
7
Matthew Goss
Wikipedia
s.t.
8
Ian Bibby
Jaguar - Eritel
s.t.
9
Rasmus Guldhammer
Team B&O
s.t.
10
Paride Grillo
Koenigsegg
s.t.
11
Domenik Klemme
Team B&O
s.t.
12
Travis Meyer
Wikipedia
s.t.
13
Robin van der Hugenhaben
Koenigsegg
s.t.
14
Evgeni Sokolov
Team Bacardi
s.t.
15
John Degenkolb
Pokerstars.com
s.t.
16
Riccardo Ricco
Team Bacardi
s.t.
17
Justo Tenorio
Santander
s.t.
18
Gert Dockx
Pro Team Venchi - Sugoi
s.t.
19
Samuel Dumoulin
Pokerstars.com
s.t.
20
David De la Fuente
Lotto - Cervelo
s.t.
21
Stefan Denifl
Wikipedia
s.t.
22
Martin Hacecký
Team B&O
s.t.
23
Dan Craven
Pro Team Venchi - Sugoi
s.t.
24
Gustavo Veloso
Santander
s.t.
25
Ryan Eastman
Heineken presented by California Giant Berry Farms
s.t.
26
Petar Panayotov
Pearl Adidas
s.t.
27
Tiago Machado
Pearl Adidas
s.t.
28
Rubén Plaza
Prio - Porto
s.t.
29
Dominique Nerz
Team Puma - SAP
s.t.
30
Daniel Martin
Pendleton's
s.t.
31
Paolo Scarponi
Wiggle Professional Cycling Team
s.t.
32
Frank Schleck
Vesuvio - Accumalux
s.t.
33
Javier Aramendía
Lotto - Cervelo
s.t.
34
Rafael Valls
Santander
s.t.
35
Leigh Howard
Milka - AVG
s.t.
36
Fabio Duarte
Pro Team Venchi - Sugoi
s.t.
37
Vincenzo Nibali
UBS - BMC
s.t.
38
Christophe Kern
Pokerstars.com
s.t.
39
Mwangi Samwel
Vesuvio - Accumalux
s.t.
40
Michael Faerk Christensen
Team B&O
s.t.
41
Welle Jallays
Pokerstars.com
s.t.
42
Konstantin Siutsou
Pendleton's
s.t.
43
Jesus Del Nero
Santander
s.t.
44
Matea Kvasina
Vesuvio - Accumalux
s.t.
45
Jelle Vanendert
Project 1t4i
s.t.
46
Jose Goncalves
Pearl Adidas
s.t.
47
Matthias Frank
UBS - BMC
s.t.
48
David López Garcia
Santander
s.t.
49
Andrew Talansky
Wikipedia
s.t.
50
Jay McCarthy
Wikipedia
s.t.
51
Greg Van Avermaet
Pro Team Venchi - Sugoi
s.t.
52
Niki Terpstra
Pokerstars.com
s.t.
53
Moises Dueñas
Lotto - Cervelo
s.t.
54
Philip Deignan
Pendleton's
s.t.
55
Raúl Granjel Cabrera
Koenigsegg
s.t.
56
Jelle Wallays
Pokerstars.com
s.t.
57
José Antonio Redondo
Koenigsegg
s.t.
58
Nelson Oliveira
Prio - Porto
s.t.
59
Damiano Caruso
Wiggle Professional Cycling Team
s.t.
60
Tyler Brandt
Heineken presented by California Giant Berry Farms
s.t.
61
Pierre Rolland
Festina-Canal+
s.t.
62
Mikel Landa
Wikipedia
s.t.
63
Michael Albasini
UBS - BMC
s.t.
64
Pello Bilbao
Team Bacardi
s.t.
65
Juan José Cobo
Lotto - Cervelo
s.t.
66
Lucas Sebastian Haedo
Aker - MOT
s.t.
67
Bauke Mollema
Festina-Canal+
s.t.
68
José Rujano
Pokerstars.com
s.t.
69
Ioannis Tamouridis
Festina-Canal+
s.t.
70
Alberto Contador
Festina-Canal+
s.t.
71
Chris Anker Sørensen
Festina-Canal+
s.t.
72
Darwin Atapuma
Wikipedia
s.t.
73
Rigoberto Úran
Milka - AVG
s.t.
74
Jurgen Van Goolen
Pokerstars.com
s.t.
75
Toms Skujins
Vesuvio - Accumalux
s.t.
76
Michał Kwiatkowski
Team B&O
s.t.
77
Jose Mendes
Prio - Porto
s.t.
78
Maximiliano Richeze
UBS - BMC
s.t.
79
Hubert Schwab
Team Puma - SAP
s.t.
80
Brent Bookwalter
Wikipedia
s.t.
81
Jaroslav Kulhavy
Milka - AVG
s.t.
82
Peter Sagan
Pro Team Venchi - Sugoi
s.t.
83
Óscar Guerao
Festina-Canal+
s.t.
84
Wilco Kelderman
Team Puma - SAP
s.t.
85
Salvatore Mancuso
Team Bacardi
s.t.
86
Tom Leezer
Pearl Adidas
s.t.
87
Jakub Kratochvila
Milka - AVG
s.t.
88
Sergio Pardilla
Team Bacardi
s.t.
89
Alex Kirsch
Vesuvio - Accumalux
s.t.
90
Christoph Mai
Wikipedia
s.t.
91
Daniel Navarro
Team Bacardi
s.t.
92
Ben Gastauer
Vesuvio - Accumalux
s.t.
93
Aitor Hernández Gutierrez
Santander
s.t.
94
Chris Froome
Jaguar - Eritel
s.t.
95
Alex Dowsett
Jaguar - Eritel
s.t.
96
Jonathan Castroviejo
Project 1t4i
s.t.
97
Branislav Samoilev
Pearl Adidas
s.t.
98
Yevgeni Nepomnyachsniy
Milka - AVG
s.t.
99
Riccardo Zoidl
Vesuvio - Accumalux
s.t.
100
Marco Corti
Pro Team Venchi - Sugoi
s.t.
101
Andrew Tennant
Jaguar - Eritel
s.t.
102
Wes Sulzberger
Simply Red Bull
s.t.
103
Didac Ortega
Santander
s.t.
104
Juan Carlos Rienda Segura
Santander
s.t.
105
Jon Aberasturi
Project 1t4i
s.t.
106
Francisco José Terciado
Team Bacardi
s.t.
107
Armindo Fonseca
Pearl Adidas
s.t.
108
Michael Matthews
Heineken presented by California Giant Berry Farms
s.t.
109
Steven Kruijswijk
Team B&O
s.t.
110
Andrew Fenn
Wiggle Professional Cycling Team
s.t.
111
Mathieu Bernaudeau
Festina-Canal+
s.t.
112
Luis Leon Sanchez Gil
Project 1t4i
s.t.
113
Florian Morizot
Pearl Adidas
s.t.
114
Fabio Felline
Team Puma - SAP
s.t.
115
Chiaffredo Grippo
Wiggle Professional Cycling Team
s.t.
116
Rafael Serrano
Santander
s.t.
117
Marcello Pavarin
Wiggle Professional Cycling Team
s.t.
118
Bruno Borges
Prio - Porto
s.t.
119
Arnold Jeannesson
Heineken presented by California Giant Berry Farms
s.t.
120
Jocelyn Bar
Team Puma - SAP
s.t.
121
Wesley Kreder
Project 1t4i
s.t.
122
Wout Poels
Project 1t4i
s.t.
123
Jetse Bol
Team Puma - SAP
s.t.
124
Maciej Bodnar
Pro Team Venchi - Sugoi
s.t.
125
Ruben Ibanez
Pendleton's
s.t.
126
Tim Kennaugh
Pendleton's
s.t.
127
Dmitri Grabovski
Team Bacardi
s.t.
128
Hector Duenas Nevado
Aker - MOT
s.t.
129
Mario Vogt
Team Puma - SAP
s.t.
130
Johannes Heider
Team Puma - SAP
s.t.
131
Mattia Pozzo
Team Puma - SAP
s.t.
132
Jakub Novak
Milka - AVG
s.t.
133
Johann Tschopp
UBS - BMC
s.t.
134
Julien Simon
Project 1t4i
s.t.
135
Jackson Rodríguez
Pearl Adidas
s.t.
136
Vegard Robinson Bugge
Aker - MOT
s.t.
137
Thurakit Boonratanathanakorn
Simply Red Bull
s.t.
138
Artem Topchanyuk
Aker - MOT
s.t.
139
Simon Zahner
UBS - BMC
s.t.
140
Jack Bobridge
Simply Red Bull
s.t.
141
Abolfazl Gilanipoor
Heineken presented by California Giant Berry Farms
s.t.
142
Carlos Oyarzun
Pendleton's
s.t.
143
Kiel Reijnen
Heineken presented by California Giant Berry Farms
s.t.
144
George Bennett
Simply Red Bull
s.t.
145
Sten Stenersen
Team B&O
s.t.
146
Alexandre Shushemoin
Aker - MOT
s.t.
147
Jocelin Maillet
Pearl Adidas
s.t.
148
Joost Posthuma
Project 1t4i
s.t.
149
David Rosch
Pendleton's
s.t.
150
Nathan Haas
Aker - MOT
s.t.
151
Meron Amanuel
Jaguar - Eritel
s.t.
152
Oliver Zaugg
UBS - BMC
s.t.
153
Max Öste-Macdonald
Koenigsegg
s.t.
154
Tesfar Teklit
Jaguar - Eritel
s.t.
155
José Joaquin Rojas Gil
Aker - MOT
s.t.
156
Nikias Arndt
Team B&O
s.t.
157
Ran Margaliot
Simply Red Bull
s.t.
158
Anthony Roux
Team Bacardi
s.t.
159
Amaël Moinard
Simply Red Bull
s.t.
160
Valerio Agnoli
Pro Team Venchi - Sugoi
s.t.
161
Rob Partridge
Wiggle Professional Cycling Team
s.t.
162
Mattia Cattaneo
Wiggle Professional Cycling Team
s.t.
163
Alex Howes
Heineken presented by California Giant Berry Farms
s.t.
164
Thomas Peterson
Heineken presented by California Giant Berry Farms
